Introducing Legal Aid of Manasota

Tuesday

Oct 8, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Legal Aid of Manasota has been an integral part of the community since 1991, but it never had a big coming-out party. So, in a town where fundraisers and galas form an industry, the recent "Lawyers & Legends" event was special.

The dinner and fundraising auction drew more than 500 people, honored 20 notable attorneys from Manatee and Sarasota counties, raised money for Legal Aid of Manasota and, more important, raised awareness about the organization -- and the need for its services.

Legal Aid of Manasota was created by the local bar associations, is governed by a board whose directors are from Manatee and Sarasota counties, and has been officially recognized by the 12th Judicial Circuit to administer all pro bono services in both counties. Yet, in the past, Manasota has had competition from Gulfcoast Legal Services.

Although Gulfcoast is based in St. Petersburg, Elizabeth Boyle, the former director of its Sarasota office, gave the organization a high profile in the community and media. Boyle's acrimonious departure from Gulfcoast provided Manasota with an opportunity to rethink its outreach strategy.

Leaders of Legal Aid of Manasota have written guest columns for the Herald-Tribune, explaining the organization's mission and announcing new initiatives, such as the Veterans Project. That project is designed to provide legal services -- free of charge -- to veterans already homeless or facing homelessness. The goals are to ensure that veterans have access to the health care and financial benefits to which they are entitled, and to solve minor legal disputes that can lead to major problems.

Recession's impact

Veterans are not the only beneficiaries of Legal Aid of Manasota and its counterparts across Florida and the nation. Manasota is a nonprofit civil law firm that provides free legal services to low-income individuals and families in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Family law, foreclosures and consumer issues -- such as debt collection -- are among Manasota's priorities. The need for an attorney's help in civil law has always existed, but it increased substantially due to the Great Recession and its aftermath.

"We're seeing a lot of clients who simply have fallen on hard times," said Linda Harradine, an attorney and executive director of Legal Aid of Manasota.

Legal aid organizations in Florida have struggled financially as well. As Sarasota attorney John Patterson wrote in a letter to the Herald-Tribune: "The Florida Bar Foundation provides about 30 percent of the funding for Florida's legal aid organizations, mainly through interest paid by banks on lawyers' short-term trust accounts. However, the drastic drop in interest rates has had an equally drastic effect on the funds available to the foundation. At the same time, Congress has substantially cut federal funding to legal aid organizations."

Funding for nonprofit legal aid organizations provides a modicum of assurance that all Floridians have representation and access to state courts in civil matters -- cases involving home foreclosures, debt collection and domestic disputes.

This funding translates into social benefits. In many cases, Floridians with legal representation don't lose their homes to foreclosure, thus preventing homelessness. In other cases, Floridians -- especially women and children -- are protected from domestic violence and its human costs. In still others, Floridians obtain the federal or state benefits they deserve -- enabling them to pay their bills, obtain health care and remain at home.

There are other benefits, including economic ones. In a 2010 report, Florida TaxWatch -- a business-oriented organization that routinely urges gubernatorial vetoes -- found that legal aid organizations contribute positively to the state's economy and individual economic well-being.

Legal aid groups need more than money, though. Manasota has only eight employees, with four full-time staff attorneys who spend countless hours meeting with clients. The most pressing need, then, is for more lawyers to provide representation pro bono -- free of charge.

Lawyers in Manatee and Sarasota counties provided 5,700 hours worth of service to Manasota clients -- an impressive contribution. But there is room for improvement: About 400 of the 1,600 qualified attorneys in the two counties are registered with Legal Aid of Manasota.

Legal Aid's website makes it easy for lawyers to register. Providing pro bono services may not be as much fun as attending a fashionable event, but it makes the lives of individuals -- and our community -- better.